A Germanophile is a person who is fond of German culture, German people, and Germany in general,[1] or even exhibits German nationalism – so to speak – in spite of not being an ethnic German or a German citizen. Its opposite is Germanophobia. The term was especially in use in the 19th to 20th centuries after the creation of the German nation state and the rise of the German Empire.
The term is used not only politically but also culturally; for example Slavoj Žižek refers to the geographical triad of Europe as being England (utilitarian pragmatism), France (revolutionary hastiness) and Germany (reflective thoroughness).[2]
In 19th century British romanticism, the term's antonym was Scandophile, expressing a dichotomy of associating Anglo-Saxon culture either with continental West Germanic culture, or with North Germanic (Scandinavian) culture (the "Viking revival"). The term was also used in opposition to Hellenophile, an affinity to "Teutonic" or Germanic culture and worldview as opposed to a predilection for Classical Antiquity.
In 19th century continental Europe, the dichotomy was rather between Germany and France, the main political players of the period, and a Germanophile would choose to side with Germany, against French or "Romance" interests taken to heart by a Francophile. The corresponding term relating to England is Anglophile, an affinity that was in turn often observed in early 20th century Germans choosing to side against France.
This term was also popularly used in the 20th century to refer to the German educational system formed by Wilhelm von Humboldt, which was leading at that time, and served as a model for many elite universities around the world from Oslo to Harvard.
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